1984 Mercedes-Benz 300 Turbo Diesel W123

Lovely Mercedes W123. I have owned it since 2014. Spent most of its life in Hollywood CA and owned by a single family, passed from father to son, to sister to brother. Professionally repainted in a beautiful dark brown / grey, before my ownership so circa 2013/14. Incredibly it comes with a full-service history dating back to 1984 and the original manual. I had it shipped across from California to South Carolina and used it as a daily driver for the first year and then just as a weekend car. It's got to the point now however, where I am only using it on Sundays and probably at less than 1,000 miles per year, to keep it ticking over and in use, so it needs someone to enjoy it more.

When I purchased it, I put n a new steering box and changed the injectors for new bosch ones, replaced the fuel lines, put new heavy-duty shocks on and of course regular maintenance, oil, filters, valve timing, battery, cooling flush, etc. It's running on a new set of tires, with probably about 250 miles on them and will start first time, every time. It has never let me done, ever, not once, not even slightly in the whole 6 years of ownership.

Can be a little smoky at startup if has been standing, but I had it fully checked out** compression, cylinder head, valves, etc. All is absolutely fine and the mechanic told me to stop comparing it to a modern car - it is a 36-year-old,1980s diesel! **This was back in 2014/15 - nothing has changed with it since, it's just the same. I would probably check out how the vacuum tubes have been routed to the ALDA, they have been invariably chopped and changed over the years, but the original diagram is still present in the engine bay and it isn't anything that has bothered me after having it originally checked in 2014 for peace of mind.

Some points worth noting as I want to make sure all information is available before anyone considers bidding.

The AC doesn't work - it never did. I got told by the previous owner that it was probably something minor. After a little bit of investigation on the internet in 2014, I found out that not blowing cold air (or any air through the center vents) is a pretty common and painful thing to remedy. I just left it alone. It wasn't worth investigating for me as the original webasto sunroof works great.

One of the rear electric windows is struggling - I've not looked further but I would imagine it is the regulator.

There is a small rust-spot in the drainage channel of the trunk. – Nothing major – I just wanted to point it out as it’s something I would fix.

The car was originally gold –it was resprayed before my ownership in a very high-quality grey. There are some non-visible spots where the gold paint can be seen wearing through in and around parts of the engine bay and in the wheel arches.Nothing major and nothing people would spot without inspection.

There is a small stone-chip in the front windshield. I did ask for a replacement on my insurance, but no surprise, they couldn't find a replacement, so I had it filled and left it at that. That was about 5 years ago and it needs doing again. It's a chip, not a crack.

This is a great vehicle and quite rare in so far as the majority of it’s life it was owned by one family in Hollywood who clearly took care of it as have I. If it needed doing, it got done. Same with me.

This is a 36-year-old vehicle that can keep up with modern traffic no problem, is fun to drive, turn heads, starts conversations, is reliable, looks great, and is solid. It is not a concours car (but it could be); it’s been family-owned, used and looked after well with a fully documented history. I would have no hesitation to drive it cross country, as nothing has been problematic in my ownership and everything I have done with it has either preventative or just wanting to improve it a little.

Any questions, let me know.